AZENTI MAGAZINE

From the painting on the wall Henry VIII watches us intently in the dimness of the anteroom. The dimly lit hallways in this wing of the castle give a very peculiar feeling. “Personally I don’t really believe in it, but many level-headed and educated people have confirmed having had these experiences, who am I to judge?” said Dave Moberg the Banff Springs historian with a tone of conviction.

Established on this site in 1915, it is no wonder that there are stories of ghost sightings at Banff Springs. It is easy to imagine what seem to be footsteps or fleeting shadows in this huge building whose nooks and crannies are imbued with memories, each being more astounding than the next. There has been a lot of history here: famous actors, presidents, kings and queens. According to legend, less famous deceased characters wander along the hallways and sometimes pay a visit to guests staying at the Banff Springs Hotel. As I followed Mr. Moberg I became acquainted with the better known of these characters. For instance there is the newlywed who stumbled down the stairs and broke her neck on the marble floor below. She can also be seen every now and again in the ballroom waltzing her first waltz to silent music. A dance that never was to be, but for the cruel trick played on her by fate.

On another floor Mr. Moberg told me the story of Sam McAuley, the bellhop who never retired, even after his death. There are many tales about Sam. He appears as an older man dressed in clothes from the 60’s and offers to take your suitcases to your room. No sooner than you have shifted your gaze and looked back again, voila—Sam has vanished! If you miss him at reception you might meet him when he opens the door for you or walks with you to the elevator. Even nowadays the staff at reception still receives calls from guests who want to thank the nice man who helped them at the hotel.

It is highly likely that any frequent visitors or Albertans you may meet will have a story to tell about the Banff Springs hauntings. There’s a story about a man, a member of the hotel staff who hid his tips on a particular floor. Since his death the floor has undergone renovations and so he continues to fruitlessly search the rooms in the general area where he left his stash so many years ago. Another man, also deceased, will come and sit beside you on your bed while you are sleeping and will gently touch your arm in a protective manner. Several witnesses from the same group met for breakfast one morning with the same story about the man sitting next to them… in their room. Everyone thought they had been dreaming with their eyes wide open. However…

The last recorded incident happened near the painting of Henry VIII. One man who was attending a conference had quite an eventful night on his first night at the hotel. Upon examination the luxurious room was quiet and nothing strange happened. Must one wait till nightfall? Whatever may have happened, the man was awakened by laughter that seemed to come from the hallway. Thinking that it was other guests going back to their room the man tried to go back to sleep. The laughter increased so that it sounded as if the laughter was in his room and before he knew it he felt the mattress of his bed lift off the floor pushing him to the bottom of the bed. Getting up he didn’t see anything abnormal. The next morning he asked a friend also staying at the hotel to meet him in his room. The man then went into the bathroom leaving his friend alone in the room. As his friend waited patiently, he suddenly felt “someone” take his hand pulling him gently toward the door and out into the hall. Following the invisible hand the man was led to the portrait of Henry VIII. The first man having come out of the bathroom found his friend outside of the room standing there stunned by what had just happened to him. Both men then shared what had happened to each other. Without hesitation the first man asked to have his room changed immediately.

After a few more minutes of talking with Dave Moberg and taking a few snapshots the tour was over. I then noticed that I had left some equipment in the room!!! I anxiously went back upstairs to the room to collect what I had left behind. Was this just a coincidence or was it a ploy on the part of the ghost to get me alone in the room? Henry VIII wouldn’t have been able to catch me as I fled from of the room. I was now faced with the dilemma of spending the night at the hotel hoping that no ghostly visitor would come to disturb my sleep.

The Fairmont Banff Springs
405 Spray Avenue
Banff, AB T1L 1J4 CANADA
(866) 840-8402
www.fairmont.com